INNOVATIV 2 | 2016Off to India with High-Tech

BFC TriPan Now at the Service Center

New Head at the Technology Center

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Lorenz Bohle Took All Steps to Prepare the Management Change

» China Disappointed, but the Leap to India was Successful – Thanks to High-Tech«

After the record year 2015, company founder Lorenz Bohle looks back at an eventful first half of 2016: “We are gravely disappointed

by China. But we made the leap to India,” states the CEO. “And our success will continue to be based on high-tech machines rather than on mass-produced goods.” He therefore strives to pursue the sales goal of EUR 50 million for 2016. Moreover, the course for future growth of L.B. Bohle will be set in 2017 with Interpack and the handover of management to the next generation.

Mr. Bohle, how has business developed so far in 2016?Lorenz Bohle: The development is characterized by strong fluctuations in order intake. Business has held up in the first half after the record year 2015 with a turnover of EUR 48 million, but in some regions, new orders were long in coming. We are especially disappointed by China. This is something we have to work on. The good news is that demand in the US is regaining momentum. And Russia continues on its successful course. Overall, we still expect a turnover of approx. EUR 50 million for 2016.

What happens in growth markets like South America and India?Brazil and Argentina are facing a crisis and demand is weak there. We were able to win attractive new orders in Columbia and Chile, how-ever. Our technology is highly sought after by German pharmaceutical companies that set up new production lines in these two countries. In India, we successfully established a presence in the growth market of pharmaceuticals with good reference machines. Test series have shown that our machines achieve a production time of eight hours compared to 48 hours previously.

Dear Readers

Sometimes, the simplest solution is also the most obvious: the pharmaceutical industry is always striving for the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to new generations of machines and systems. Some time ago, we received an inquiry from abroad asking how they could efficiently perform a quality control of sugar-coated tablets as well as film tablets. What automatically came to mind was the first bestseller from the early years of L. B. Bohle: the checker series KA 200 and KA 120. It was a hit with our customers and contributed significantly to the rise of our company in the pharmaceutical industry. However, as the years passed, the supposedly simple machines were replaced by more complex process machines.

For that very reason, I am delighted about this “revival”: based on the KA series, we developed a new generation of tablet checkers. The checker series always stood out due to its high precision and great performance. For instance, it was possible to check up to one million

tablets per hour. While our developers maintained these positive features in the new concept, they modified the checkers with a contemporary, digital, qualifiable configuration.The new generation of checkers was given the name KA 280, with seven rows in the form of conical-shaped wheels (disk pairs). With checking tablets with a diameter of up to approx. 10 mm and a maximum weight of 300 mg, the planned output is 300 kg/h. Too small/big and twinned tablets are sorted out.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for your successful collaboration with us during the past 35 years. I hope that you will remain loyal to L.B. Bohle. You can continue to reply on our inventive spirit and excellent team.

Yours faithfully,

Lorenz Bohle has set the course for future growth: Sales Manager Tim Remmert (right) stands for continuity.

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Cooperations Bring Together the Best of Science and Economy

New Manager Scientific Operations Brings Together Technology and Pharmacy

Growth Spurt in the 35th Company Year

Robin Meier new Head of Technology Center

On 1 July 1981, the success story of L.B. Bohle Maschinen + Verfahren GmbH began in Ennigerloh, Westphalia. After 35 years in which

the company constantly developed further, the current business year is also marked by great success for the independent, medium-sized machine builder. CEO Lorenz Bohle and his team made the company a machine engineering specialist for pharmaceutical solids production. “The forecast for 2016 is very promising”, states the company founder Lorenz Bohle. Our extensive machine portfolio for virtually all process steps and our strong position as a coating technology leader allows us to expect further growth for the current year.” Already in 2015, the company generated record sales of EUR 48 million.

Four Bohle Film Coaters set up in IndiaThe 2016 business year is strongly marked by the demand for coating machines. This year, we succeeded in installing coaters in Europe, North and South America and Asia. In particular the commissioning of four Bohle Film Coaters in India is a great sales success for us,” states Sales Manager Tim Remmert. “The coaters provide us with an excellent ref-erence in the ever-growing Indian pharmaceuticals market,” continues Tim Remmert.

In addition to the sales successes, the further development of the con-tinuous production plant in the Technology Center is an important topic for the current year. Numerous renowned customers already conducted tests with the pilot plant and expressed their enthusiasm about the functionality and the results.

In the past three years, L.B. Bohle spent several million euros on research and development. With this investment, the medium-sized company secures its top position among pharmaceutical suppliers in machine engineering.

In the Technology Center, L.B. Bohle has established cooperations with the Universities of Düsseldorf, Aachen and Rutgers University New Jersey to accelerate the development of processes and products. “These collaborations are a win-win situation for universities and companies,” states Lorenz Bohle. According to Prof. Peter Kleinebudde of Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, “we as researchers can now gain experience with continuous production along the entire process. Two PhD students regularly come to Ennigerloh to carry out trials.

The Technology Center enables us to conduct research on questions regarding continuous production, and we are glad to be part of this fascinating project.”

Market introduction of the KA 280 tablet checker The machine builder from Ennigerloh also faces numerous interesting topics in the second half of 2016. The market introduction of the new tablet checker KA 280 is just around the corner. Furthermore, all steps for the generation shift in the company’s senior management will be completed by the end of the year.

L.B. Bohle will continue on its successful track in 2017.

All it took were two short discussions to sort out the details: Robin Meier (30) joined L.B. Bohle Maschinen + Verfahren GmbH as

Manager Scientific Operations on 15 August 2016. Robin Meier, who was born in Essen, explains the pragmatic decisions as follows: “I knew the company from my doctoral studies in pharmaceutical technology and biopharmaceutics at Düsseldorf University. We had some machines at the institute and the colleagues told me about very interesting and innovative scientific cooperation projects. Moreover, I personally got to know the company and the colleagues at the Service Center in Enni-gerloh from the annual APV course on dry granulation.” When Lorenz Bohle asked him to join the company, he did not have to “think twice”.

Having graduated from high school in Essen in 2007, Robin Meier studied pharmacy at the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf. In January 2013, he received his certification in pharmacy. Subsequently,

he worked as scientific assistant at the Insti-tute for Pharmaceu-tical Technology and Biopharmaceutics of the Düsseldorf Hein-rich-Heine-University.

His doctoral thesis on continuous wet granulation in cooperation with a major pharmaceutical company gave him profound insights into continuous production. “With experienced and very qualified colleagues from process engineering and software development, I see great potential for L.B. Bohle to firmly establish itself as an innovation driver for continuous production of solid pharmaceuticals,” says Robin Meier, enthusiastically about his new endeavor.

2016 is a “coater year”. L.B. Bohle was able to install numerous systems in all key markets.

How well are production capacities utilized in Ennigerloh and Sassenberg??So far, there is sufficient capacity, but if order intake increases, we might have to introduce a two-shift-operation. We are reaching our limits in the development area. Therefore, we will expand the construction office in Sassenberg by 250 m². That means: an extra area of 500 m² will be added on two floors.

After a year without a trade fair highlight, Interpack is on the schedule for 2017. What can customers look forward to?We will definitely present further strides and steps to success with continuous production. At the Technology Center, we already ran several successful trials with customers.

You have announced your retirement from operative manage-ment for the turn of the year. Have you already handed over

the tasks to the new managers? The change has been prepared well in advance and with great continuity. Sales Manager Dipl. Ing. Tim Remmert and Dipl. Ing. Thorsten Wesselmann as Head of Engineering have proven a successful leadership duo in the previous months. Thus, the foundations for a smooth transition have been laid. In October, the committees will pass the required resolutions.

And what will Lorenz Bohle do starting January 1, 2017?I will certainly not get bored. Some years ago, I discovered my passion for hunting. As shareholder and board member, I will keep an eye on the company’s development, of course. And when I am asked for advice, I will certainly not say “No”.

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New Technology: TriPan Coater BFC 50 Is the Latest Generation and GMA in Combination with the BFS 30 Fluid Bed

State-of-the-Art Equipment for Trials in the Service Center

L.B. Bohle Maschinen + Verfahren GmbH has installed the new machines at the Service Center in order to offer its customers the

latest machine generation for test trials. The Service Center was first opened in 2005 at Bohle’s headquarters in Ennigerloh. On more than 500 m², the center offers numerous possibilities to test new products and develop and optimize processes.

A complete pharmaceutical production line is available at the Ser-vice Center to develop and test machines and processes. This makes it possible to work under actual conditions at pilot plant scale. Various measuring, test and analysis equipment supplements the production line.

BFC TriPan can be operated with three pansAs part of the test runs in the Service Center, numerous customers have already expressed great satisfaction with the quality and productivity

of our machines,” states CEO Lorenz Bohle on the successful Service Center concept. “Reliable tests with a focus on our customers’ needs isthe best recipe for success,” Lorenz Bohle continues.

With the new installation of the BFC TriPan at the Service Center, L.B. Bohle provides customers with state-of-the-art coating technology for trials. The BFC TriPan can be operated with three pans for batch sizes of 7 to 75 litres. The coater drums can be changed in less than 30 minutes.

“The innovations of the BFC TriPan primarily concern the design. The nozzle arm was expanded to six nozzles in total,” explains Andreas Altmeyer, Head of the Service Center. The nozzles themselves are fed independently (three peristaltic pump double heads for six nozzles) so that spray products that are difficult to process (e.g. methylacry-late) can be sprayed securely with every nozzle. Moreover, the angle

of the spray nozzle and the distance between the spray nozzles and the tablet bed can be set automatically as a recipe parameter. When a trial is started, these important recipe parameters can therefore be optimized without manual intervention. The infrared product temperature sensor was also incorporated as a fixed component. It continuously measures the core bed temperature in addition to the supply and exhaust air temperature.

Close cooperation with universitiesThe BFS 30 Bohle Uni Cone BUC®, which has already been installed at the Service Center, was extended by the GMA 70 High-shear Granulator to form a system with a compact footprint. Therefore, all classic wet granulation processes are now available for test runs with state-of-the-art technology at the Service Center. L.B. Bohle sees

great potential in the fluid bed technology in particular. The Bohle Uni Cone BUC® process, which was presented at Interpack in 2014, offers numerous advantages compared to the conventional Wurster process. According to the Head of the Service Center, Andreas Altmeyer, “fluid bed systems are state of the art and offer various benefits: Compared to the classic top spray process, granulation/drying and pellet coating are performed in one system without requiring any changes or addi-tional inserts. Several patents have been achieved with the system.”

Thanks to constant cooperation with universities or as part of customer trials, process analytical technologies (PAT) such as the Parsum probe for online particle size measurement or NIR/MW hu-midity sensors are used at the Service Center as well. This ensures an optimum process flow for agglomeration by agitation or pellet coating (prevention of pellet agglomeration).

At the L.B. Bohle Service Center in Ennigerloh, customers can now also carry out tests with a BFC TriPan. It can be operated with three pans. The drums can be conveniently changed in less than 30 minutes. The system is de-signed for batch sizes from 7 to 75 kilograms.

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Trainee Video Takes Second Place

L.B. Bohle at the Vocational Training Fair »Mach Mit«

For the first time, L.B. Bohle Maschinen & Verfahren GmbH took part in the vocational training fair “Mach Mit” in Oelde. The goal

of the two-day event for students was to attract trainees on their way to becoming experts in various opportunities L.B. Bohle has to offer.

On both days, numerous interested students found their way to the

Bohle stand. They obtained first-hand information about the training course for industrial mechanics and electronics technicians as well as the integrated degree program.

As part of the video competition “You@work”, the contribution of the Bohle trainees also won second place.

Bohle trainees promoted the training in Ennigerloh at the fair “Mach Mit”.

Global Sales Team Increases Growth in the Future Markets Russia, Latin America and Asia

45 Experts from All Over the World Gather Information

For 45 special machine sales representatives in the pharmaceutical industry, Ennigerloh for two days was the place to be last spring:

L.B. Bohle Maschinen & Verfahren invited them to an agent meeting to inform the sales agents of the latest technology and continuous processes of L.B. Bohle. “We have increased our sales in 2015 by 26 percent to EUR 48 million with our sales team,” stated the entrepreneur Lorenz Bohle. He expressed his conviction that the constant exchange and the demonstration of the processes on site are a decisive factor for a successful presentation to the customer.

“Our sales company in the US regained momentum in 2015 after a slightly slower-than-average period,” Sales Manager Tim Remmert sums up. Russia is growing as well: In 2015, L.B. Bohle generated sales of EUR 6 million there. In South America and Mexico, several large projects are under way. And in the key market India, the first four reference machines have been sold. For 2016, the company therefore

has set itself a growth rate goal of 10 to 15 percent.

Continuous processes as a key to successThe two-day-specialist conference focused on the new Technology Center. Since March 2015, L.B. Bohle has offered a first-class platform for the development of innovative processes of continuous production. The company encouraged its international partners to increasingly offer the unique system to customers, scientists and cooperation partners for trial and test purposes.

According to Lorenz Bohle, “permanent and process-overlapping measurement, monitoring and production control are the key to en-couraging continuous production.” In consultation with the experts at the universities RWTH Aachen and HHU Düsseldorf, the standards for the task profiles and performance parameters have been defined through mid-2016.

At the Agent Meeting in spring, 45 sales representatives learned about the latest technology at the Technology Center (left) and at the plant (right).

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Penalty Thriller and Meat from the Smoker Rounded Out the Family Day

Summer Party at Plant 1

More than 300 employees, partners and children celebrated the big summer party at the headquarters in Ennigerloh at the beginning of

July. All visitors had the opportunity to take a glance behind the scenes at the Technology and Service Center and obtain information about the state of the art developments. The day’s program was also packed with highlights for old and young alike. Children could show off their soccer skills at the shoot-out goal or ride on the swings. Grown-ups were given the chance to prove their marksmanship at the simulator shooting gallery.

A special highlight of Family Day was the unique smoker built by L.B. Bohle employees that gave the meat a wonderful smoky flavour. The various types of meat sizzled in the smokers for hours. They were hotly sought-after in the literal sense of the word. The grilled game was especially an appreciated delicacy.

In the evening, the employees watched Germany play Italy in the quarter final of the European football championship. The historical penalty shoot-out rounded out the event and significantly contributed to the great party mood that lasted well into the night. “The strong participation and the high spirits at the company party show that the employees get along very well,” says Lorenz Bohle. “The party was meant as a little gesture of gratitude for the employees and motivation for the second half of the year.

Hearty specialities from the smoker, EC penalty thriller and carousel: There was something for everybody at the Family Party. The smoker team (top right) had built the barbecues themselves.

L.B. Bohle and the Industrial Association Ennigerloh Supported the DLRG Team

Pharmaceuticals Experts Visit the Meyer Shipyard

Participation in the World Championship in the Netherlands

Cruise Ships Enthuse Employees

The companies of the Industrial Association Ennigerloh surrounding L.B. Bohle GmbH did not hesitate when they

were asked to help the DLRG lifeguard association Ennigerloh. The girls’ relay of the regional association Ennigerloh wanted to take part in the lifeguard world championship and was looking for local sponsors. It was quickly decided to support the six team members and their trainers and attendants at the world championship in the Dutch town of Noordwijk.

Thanks to the participation, the town of Ennigerloh was also represented on a supra-regional level. Therefore, the appearance of the world championship team was an excellent way to showcase our town. “Given the fact that lifeguard swimmers represent a niche sport, the outstanding results by the team should receive more public attention,” said Lo-renz Bohle. “Apart from the great performance at the world championship, lifeguards show a social commitment to the community and their peers, and therefore deserve our support,” continues Lorenz Bohle.

Thirty employees from different depart-ments departed on a tour to Papenburg in

the Ems region in the spring. Their destination was the Meyer shipyard which has been one of the top places for construction of large cruise ships for decades. Originally, they had planned to visit the cruise ship “Ovation of the Seas” but the huge floating hotel had already left the shipyard the day before.

The Bohle staff was impressed by the huge ships with their propulsion technology and great detail work in production. After the two-hour plant tour, which was comprised of extensive audio/visual material that included insight into the pro-duction process, the Bohle team enjoyed a traditional lunch in the city of Papenburg.

They had plenty to talk about on their way home. Despite the fascinat-ing insights into ship-building, everybody agreed that working on the pharmaceutical machines of L.B Bohle is just as exciting.

Together with the Industrial Association Ennigerloh, Lorenz Bohle supports the girls’ relay of the DLRG lifeguard association at the world championships.

The visitors only realized the dimension of the cruise ship specialist when they were shown a model of the Meyer shipyard.

L.B. BohleMaschinen + Verfahren GmbHIndustriestraße 18D-59320 Ennigerloh +49 (0) 2524 9323-0 +49 (0) 2524 9323-399 info@lbbohle.com www.lbbohle.com ©

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